A Walk in the Woods
by Calem de Vaniville
Summary: Calem and Serena decide to go for a walk in the woods. There Calem reveals to Serena that he is autistic and tells her how it impacts his life.
1. The Walk

**_DISCLAIMER: _**_I do not own Pokemon, Calem, or Serena. They are property of Nintendo._

_I decided to write this story as a little follow-up to my well-received story New Friends. I'm glad you like that story. I hope you like this one too! (I got the idea to give Calem autism from the fact that I have autism myself.)_

_BTW, Serena was recently announced to be in the Pokemon X and Y anime. I have mixed feelings about it._

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**THE ESTATE OF NIBIRU-MUL PRESENTS**

**A WALK IN THE WOODS**

**CHAPTER 1: THE WALK**

Calem had been living in Vaniville Town for about two weeks now. He was beginning to really like it. Everyone seemed to be really nice - especially Serena, his next-door neighbor. The quietness of the street that Calem lived on helped give him peaceful thoughts.

Today, Calem wanted to go take a walk in Santalune Forest. When he got up from bed, he looked out the window and saw how beautiful it was outside. Then he did his morning routine. After he had eaten breakfast and showered, he went upstairs to get dressed. First he put on a pair of blue floral print boxers. Then he got out a black T-shirt. Next, he put on his jacket, pants, and boots. Finally, he took his cap.

Calem looked at himself in the mirror.

"I think I look good today," he said. "I'll go meet Serena outside."

A bit later, Calem called Serena and asked if she wanted to take a walk in Santalune Forest. Serena agreed to this. Their parents agreed to it as well, but told them to stay out of the tall grass, as neither Calem nor Serena had any Pokemon.

Precisely at noon, Serena showed up to Calem's front door. She was dressed in her usual clothing.

"Hey, Calem," she said.

"Hello," said Calem. "It's such a lovely day. I would enjoy it if we went to the woods."

"I would enjoy it too," said Serena.

"I'm pretty much ready," said Calem. "I guess we can leave now."

"Okay," said Serena.

Calem and Serena went to the woods located near their house. They made sure that they were careful to avoid the tall grass. The two decided to talk

"How do you like it here?" asked Serena.

"It's great," said Calem. "Everything is really wonderful. The people are nice and love to see me perform. I especially like hanging out with you. We've hung out practically every day since I moved here two weeks ago."

"I know," laughed Serena.

"Still," said Calem, "it isn't easy to be in a new place. But I feel comfortable knowing you."

Serena giggled.

"I like how you wear your hair," said Calem. "You look like Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty."

"Thanks," said Serena. "She is my favorite of the princesses."

Calem looked up at the sky and saw some Fletchling flying overhead.

"There they go," said Calem, "flying into the distance."

"They look wonderful," said Serena.

While Calem looked at the bird Pokemon, Serena noticed that Calem was scratching himself and making soft noises.

"Calem," asked Serena, "what are you doing?"

Calem turned around.

"Huh?" he said.

"You were scratching yourself," said Serena.

"Sorry that I was doing that," said Calem, "it's nothing out of the ordinary. You might have seen me moving weird a bit. It's part of my disability. When I was two years old, I was diagnosed with autism. Specifically, Asperger's syndrome."

Serena was surprised. She didn't even suspect that Calem had a disability.

"I hope it's not that big of a deal," said Calem. "I didn't want to tell you, since I know that some people aren't very understanding. It's been hard for my mother and father, and everyone in my family."

"It's not a big deal," said Serena. "I know that plenty of people have disabilities. I'll still be friends with anyone nice regardless."

"Thanks," said Calem.

"What's it like having autism?" asked Serena.

"It can be hard sometimes," said Calem. "I've never been able to make many friends because of it. I get very lonely because of it. I tend to scratch myself when I'm nervous, and sometimes I rock back and forth. I'm still kind of attached to my parents in a way that most 14-year-olds aren't."

"That must be bad," said Serena.

"I agree," said Calem. "I also tend to communicate strangely. I tend to go on tangents a lot, so I often rant on and on about something - even if the person I'm talking to is clearly not interested. It's hard for me to understand sarcasm or irony."

"Then might be hard being around Trevor," said Serena. "His love of sarcasm is almost British."

Calem laughed.

"The other day," said Serena," I noticed that you have a lot of books. They're all of the same couple of topics. There's books about the sun, architecture, ancient technology, and the paranormal. I wonder if there is some sort of fixation."

"There is," said Calem. "I tend to fixate on certain topics. Those are just a few of them. I've had many others. At one point I was obsessed with old photos. I have a book with lots of photos. It has color photos from over 100 years ago. There's even some of Santalune Forest. It seems to have been larger back then."

"I know," said Serena. "They've cut down a lot of the trees over the years. Still can't believe there were color photos back then, though."

"I'll show you my book one day," said Calem.

Serena and Calem stood there and admired the scenery around them.

"Whenever I come here," said Serena, "I feel like I'm one with nature."

"I get that feeling whenever I'm in the woods too," said Calem.

"I wish I could just stand here forever," said Serena.

"I don't," said Calem. "Of course I'd like to be with you admire nature - you're my friend. But if I stand too long, I get really fidgety and start pacing. That's why I have to move around."

Calem and Serena laughed.


	2. After the Walk

_**A/N: **For those who don't know who Diantha is, she is a character in the upcoming games. She is an actress and a Trainer who the player will meet._

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**CHAPTER 2: AFTER THE WALK**

Half an hour later, Calem and Serena reached the far end of the forest. There they saw a stream.

"I've been here before," said Calem. "I used to hang out here on breaks when we performed in Santalune City. Sometimes I went swimming in the stream."

"Interesting," said Serena. "I've been hesitant to swim in streams. I'm afraid that I'll get caught."

"Some streams are protected areas," said Calem. "That is why they might be forbidden. But this one isn't. People go swimming in it sometimes."

Serena looked at the stream. It was very calm. The water flowed gently along the reeds on the edge. She saw small fish swimming around.

"I guess we could go in it one day," she said.

"I guess so," said Calem.

At that moment Serena looked at Calem. She gazed into his big blue eyes and smiled at him. She thought that he was quite intelligent and fun to be with. This had contrasted with his shyness when they first met. And Serena felt bad that autism gave Calem some difficulties. But she was happy that he managed his disability very well.

This made Serena understand all the emotional pain that Calem had gone through. And this was good timing, since she saw that Calem was looking a little down in the dumps.

"Calem," said Serena, "are you okay?"

"Yes," said Calem. "It's just that...I don't open up to many people about my disability. I feel afraid of standing out in a bad way."

"Don't be unhappy about it," said Serena. "I understand how you feel. It's not easy having something that impedes you. But you should remember that there are plenty of ways to manage it."

"I know," said Calem. "People tell me that I manage it well."

"You do," said Serena. "I think you are a bright young man. You shouldn't let you having autism prevent you from being happy. I know plenty of autistic people who are satisfied with their lives."

"That's nice to hear," said Calem. "I am pretty happy with my life. I just tend to get a little depressed sometimes. But I realize that I am strong enough to get through life and try to live it to the fullest. I think talking about this stuff with others help."

"And remember," said Serena, "your mom and dad love you. They will help you get through difficulties."

"Definitely," said Calem. "I think that it is much better to talk to my parents about my feelings than to lie down on my bed crying."

"I think so," said Serena.

"I hope you're not too surprised by seeing me cry," said Calem. "You've seen it at least once. I cry an awful lot. A lot of people can't picture a guy my age crying."

"Not at all," said Serena. "It's okay to cry. It's just that...you shouldn't hide yourself in your room if something's really bothering you. You need to speak up. Otherwise, you won't get very far."

"You're right," said Calem. "I will take your advice."

Calem hugged Serena.

"Let's go home," said Serena.

Calem and Serena started to make their way back. They walked the same path that they had gone through before. They talked about various things, such as Diantha's movies, and their dreams of becoming Pokemon Trainers.

At last, Calem and Serena were back in Vaniville Town. They made their way to their houses.

Calem opened the door to his house. Serena went inside, followed by Calem, who closed the door behind him. Calem looked in the kitchen. There he saw his mom. She was preparing lunch for her son and his friend.

"I wonder what she's making?" asked Serena.

Calem smelled the food cooking.

"Smells like paella," said Calem.

"What's that?" asked Serena.

"It's a rice dish," said Calem. "Usually it has seafood, but Mom makes hers with chicken and sliced sausage. It's very big where her family comes from. My great-grandfather, Aurelio Serrano, owned a restaurant in the southwest of Kalos that specialized in it. He started it when he moved to Kalos. Mom's cousin owns it now. Trust me, you'll like it."

"I think I'll like it," said Serena.

"I'm sure you will," said Calem. "Mom is very proud of her cooking."

Calem and Serena sat in the living room and watched some TV. One of Diantha's movies was on. It was a romance film set in Victorian era London. Calem and Serena thought it was very good. Both of them loved the elaborate dresses that Diantha wore in the movie.

"I wonder if she's making any new movies," said Calem.

"I think she is," said Serena. "Later I should go online to see if any new movies of hers are out."

Eventually, Calem's mom called Calem and Serena in for lunch.

Calem and Serena sat at the kitchen table. Calem's mom served the two of them paella with soda on the side.

"Let's eat up," said Calem.

Calem began eating. Serena carefully tried a bit of paella. She liked it.

"This is delicious!" said Serena. "Your mom made it well."

"Thanks," said Calem. "Mom loves to make paella."

Calem and Serena ate their lunch together. After they ate, they played outside. They had fun for the rest of the day.

**THE END**


End file.
